Read and Respond

Test on Content Knowledge

How much did you learn about learning disabilities? Find out by answering the following questions.

1. What are the major concepts in the NJCLD definition of learning disabilities? Explain each of them.

According to the NJCLD (1989) definition of learning disabilities, learning disabilities is a generic term that refers
to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening,
speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and
presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction. Learning disabilities may appear across the life span. Problems
in self-regulatory behavior, social perception and social interaction may exist in learning disabilities but do not themselves
constitute a learning disability. Although learning disabilities may occur concomitantly with other handicapping conditions,
for example, blindness, deafness, serious emotional disturbance, or with extrinsic influences such as cultural differences,
insufficient or inappropriate instruction, learning disabilities is not the result of these conditions. By this, the disorder
group is heterogeneous, which indicates that there are several problems that occur simultaneously. In terms of mental
and behavioral characteristics, no two learning disabled individuals are alike. The severe obstacles in developing and
mastering listening, speaking, reading, and writing ability. The kid's reasoning or mathematical skills are seen in his or her
educational outcomes. These children, despite having normal or above-average cognitive capacities, are still unable to
acquire a typical school curriculum like their classmates. Reading is a discipline in which they have a great deal of difficulty.
The factor called IQ achievement discrepancy underlies the occurrence. A conventional mental capacity test doesn't really
show that the student is developing skills and knowledge in conformity with their potential to learn. Whereas the student's
intellectual capacity is adequate for their chronological age, academic success indicates performance two years below age
level. As an outcome, while having the capacity to complete the passing grade, a ten-year-old with an IQ that is average
for a ten-year-old is unable to do so. Individual people having developmental delays are diverse. This means that organic,
biochemical, genetic, or environmental things contribute to cognitive deficits. The central nervous system, particularly the
brain, is connected to organic and biological factors. The majority of the time, the source of learning difficulties is
unidentified.

2. In what way or ways are learning disabilities different from mental retardation?

A learning disability affects a child’s ability to develop skills without affecting their overall intellectual capabilities.
Children who are diagnosed with learning disabilities may have trouble reading, writing, or speaking. For example, dyslexia
is a learning disability that affects a kid’s ability to read letters and numbers, while dyscalculia affects their ability to
understand math problems. Learning disabilities come in many different forms and levels of severity. As a result, diagnoses
and treatments for learning disabilities will be different for each child. While Mental retardation is sometimes referred to
as a cognitive or intellectual disability. Children with mental retardation can and do learn new skills, but they develop
more slowly than children with average intelligence and adaptive skills. There are different degrees of mental retardation,
ranging from mild to profound. It can affect a child’s intellectual capabilities. For example, an autism spectrum disorder
can impair skills associated with social interaction, as well as verbal and nonverbal communication. As a result of an
intellectual disability’s/mental retardation effect on overall mental functioning, it can create the same learning obstacles
experienced by a kid who has a learning disability. And whereas mental retardation is diagnosed in children who have
learning problems and who fit the above-described criteria, regardless of the causation (organic or brain-based, or not),
the diagnosis of learning disability depends on its causation.

3. Enumerate the Learning and Behavioral characteristics of students with learning disability.

• Reading poses the most difficult among all the subjects in the curriculum.
• Written language poses severe problems in one or more of the following areas handwriting, spelling, composition
and writing which is legible and slow.
 • Spoken language poses problems on the mechanical uses of language in syntax or grammar, semantics or word
meanings and phonology or the breakdown of words into their component sounds and blending individual sounds
to compose words.
• Pragmatics or social uses of language poses problems on the ability to carry on a conversation.
• Mathematics problems are recognized as second to deficiencies in reading language and spelling.
• These children tend to fall and be retained in a grade level. The level of academic achievement tends to decrease
progressively as the grade level increases.
• Behavior problems remain consistent across grade levels both in school, in the community and at home. The
common behavior problems are inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.
• In general, social acceptance is low, but some can be popular.

4. What are the causes of learning disabilities? Explain each of them.

Affecting the development of the brain. This may occur before birth (prenatally), during birth, or in early
childhood. Learning disabilities can be caused by any one of a variety of factors, or by a combination. Sometimes the
specific cause is not known. Possible causes include the following: An inherited condition, meaning that certain genes
passed from the parents affected brain development. For example, Fragile X. Chromosome abnormalities such as Down’s
syndrome or Turner syndrome. Complications during birth result in a lack of oxygen to the brain. A very premature birth.
Mother’s illness during pregnancy. The mother drinks during pregnancy, for example, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. A
debilitating illness or injury in early childhood affects brain development, for example, a road traffic accident or child
abuse. Contact with damaging material (like radiation). Neglect, and/or a lack of mental stimulation early in life. Some
people with learning disabilities have additional physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

5. What are the assessment procedures for learning disabilities? Explain each of them.

The "Knowing" Stage of Learning

• Acquisition and Reversion

Acquisition of knowledge and skills takes place when the teacher's instructional goals and objectives, skills and
competence, strategies and materials match the learning ability of the student. The teacher's ability to motivate the
learner, his or her delivery of accurate content and effective teaching methods are important.

•Proficiency and Automaticity

When mastery of a skill or concept is attained, the learner moves into the substages of proficiency and automaticity. The
goal is to attain fluency so that the skills are automatically applied to the appropriate situation in everyday life

The "Using" Stage of Learning

•Maintenance

Class activities are organized to allow the students to continue to experience the meaningful practice of the skills in the
practical context

•Generalization

For a learner to recognize a new or different stimulus as a prompt to apply the learned skills and to use the acquired skill
in various situations, behaviors, settings and times.

The "Inventing" Stage of Learning

•Adaptation

The student recognizes the need to apply learned skills in situations outside the school. He or she introduces changes or
modifications in the skills and applies them to meet the new situation without help or prompts.
6. What are the special education programs for children with learning disabilities? How does the method of teaching
differ from those used in teaching average students?

There are different ways or criteria of assessing children that have learning disabilities it's actually three and the
first one is a severe discrepancy between the child's potential and actual achievement second one exclusion or absence
of mental retardation, sensory and impairment and other disabilities and the last is that need for special education services
this is the way for one of the parts of a program that should have for teaching children with learning disabilities.
Furthermore, there are many special education programs for children with learning disabilities and we will only mention
some of the most common programs:

A. Public or Private School

Your school will be the first resource for helping your child get the most out of his or her abilities while gaining
access to education. Your special education representatives should sit down and create an Individualized Education
Program, or IEP, for your child. They will take into account your particular child’s needs and challenges, and create a plan
for incorporating them into the school and helping them to succeed. With your IEP, you can feel more confident that your
school is going to take good care of your child.

B. Opening Doors program

The national government also has programs in place to disseminate information and provide resources to children
with specific disabilities. One example of this is the Opening Doors program, which was designed for children with hearing
loss problems. This program maintains up-to-date information on services for hearing loss individuals, as well as providing
technology resources to help these children cope with their difficulties in communication. National programs like this one
exist for many individual disabilities, and they can be found through a simple internet search.

For me, teaching a child with learning disabilities is more challenging than teaching an average student, why?
Because it differs in so many ways like you have to be more, understandable and creative on how to teach your student
that has a learning disability in a way that they won't feel uncomfortable with you. You have to be more dynamic in
teaching them like you need to have more plan on providing an alternative method of assessment for teaching students
that have disabilities or creating a good and somewhat like normal human environment for your student so they can
experience a normal life and be motivated also in learning.

Reflection and Application of Learning

1. Can you recall one or two of your classmates in elementary or high school who had learning difficulties? What were
their learning characteristics? Their behavior characteristics? How did the teachers react to the student’s poor
performance in a class? Were they given special instruction? Were they punished sometimes?

I remember way back in senior high school I had this classmate named Richard. He had difficulties in math, he
didn't easily get the problems and equations in math. He also finds it difficult to organize numbers, operations signs so his
period ends so he takes a long time to check with Mam Merlin Tonic. He was frustrated and restless because he didn't
understand the lesson right away. He asks our classmates for help but he still doesn't understand. When mam tonic asked
him to recite in class, he didn't get it either, so she scolded Richard. But in the meantime, we also had a group activity. The
leaders there guided his members so that served as their special instructions. Punishment will fall on the exam if that is
also the score that can be obtained without a retake.

2. After gaining knowledge about learning disabilities, what do you think should have been done by the school and the
teachers to help your classmates with learning disabilities?
 I think it should have been done by the schools to help my classmates with learning disabilities. If schools are not
aware of who those children with learning disabilities are, they should initiate a screening program to locate children with
learning disabilities. Early location assessment and identification have potentially prevented or reduced the occurrence of
future learning problems. For teachers, highly recommend the use of a diagnostic-prescriptive evaluation approach. Using
diagnostic-prescriptive, teachers analyze their students' academic talents and limitations before prescribing an
appropriate course of action to address areas of weakness in order to apply this form of instruction in the classroom. It
can be a tremendous benefit to my classmates with learning difficulties through assessment and identification, as well as
a diagnostic-prescriptive evaluation technique.

Group Members:

MAGLAYA, JAYSEN LOID

MESIAS, TRIXIE ROSELLE Y.

NERO, KATHLEEN

NILOBAN, DANIELA

OLAVERE, CHRISTINE JOY

OMEREZ, JOHN GENER

OPALDA, KAYE R.

PADERON, MA. ALTHEA